"AI is becoming a baseline competency": the science minister's statement and what it means for employers

Kazakhstan's minister of science and higher education stated that artificial intelligence is becoming a new baseline competency: fluency with AI tools now stands alongside literacy and basic computer skills. The education system faces a corresponding overhaul — from school curricula to university courses.

For the labor market such statements are a leading indicator: what the state calls a baseline competency will be a resume default within a few years. Job postings already increasingly include a line about confident use of neural networks — the way "confident PC user" once appeared.

Employers in Kazakhstan can get ahead on two fronts. In hiring — add a simple practical question to interviews: show how you solve a work task with AI. In team development — don't wait for people to learn on their own; give them legitimate tools and a couple of hours of training on the company's real tasks. The gap between those who use AI daily and those who have "heard of it" is already measured in hours of working time per week.